Gerunds with non-accusative objects and prepositions

D

Discipulus Piger

New Member

Hi, as I know, in latin, it's so rare but possible to use gerunds with objects. But in the all examples that I see, they used the object in accusative form. Is the accusative form only allowed form for this? Is it possible to use it with non-accusative objects and prepositions? Like in the example:
"De inferno evadere durus est" (I hope it means something like "Escaping from hell is hard")
 
B

Bitmap

Guest

Your phrase simply contains an infinitive clause which serves as the subject complement of the sentence. In such cases, you're fine. However, an infinitive clause is considered neuter, so it would have to be durum or better yet difficile (since you probably don't mean 'hard' in its literal sense, but 'hard' as in 'difficult').
Linking prepositional phrases (i.e. adverbials) to gerunds is generally fine, but using non-accusative objects with the casus obliqui of gerunds is at the very least unclassical.

So, for example, a sentence like "Caesar demonstrated his mercy by sparing him" would be translated as something like Caesar clementiam suam demonstravit cum illi pepercit - you would not translate this sentence with the ablative gerund of parcere.
 
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